Sacrifice
by Ada C. Eliana
Summary: The last Ronin standing, Ryo reflects on the price of doing what must be done.Oneshot.


Watching the first battle with Talpa inspired me to create this one-shot. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Ronin Warriors, only the original creative content of this story. I am not making any profit from this.

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**Sacrifice**

By: Sarah Shima

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_It was never supposed to happen this way. Never. We were all supposed to leave the Netherworld together; we were all to celebrate as a group, to…_ Ryo's thoughts became scattered again, as a wave of sorrow engulfed him. He stared at his hands, the hands that had ended everything. In the distance a funeral pyre burned; the smoke rising from the crematorium. A woman's anguish sob ripped through the calm air, and Ryo bent his head, in respect and guilt. _Everything just happened so fast. How could it have all gone wrong so quickly?_

Ryo's thoughts strayed to the event that happened mere days ago, to the night when he and his friends, his teammates, went to the Nether Realm to defeat Talpa. While they held off the Warlords and soldiers, they sent Ryo up to fight the emperor himself.

_How naïve we were, so naïve and stupid,_ Ryo cursed himself. _Because of a few victories against the Warlords, we really thought we were a match for Talpa himself. We should have just run when we had the chance! But there was nowhere to go, I know that, I realize that, but I cannot accept it._

The amount that they had underestimated Talpa presented itself as Ryo was nearly killed – by Talpa's _hair._ He was just a floating head, and he still could take on the Ronin Warriors without much trouble. But still Ryo soldiered on, attacking him again and again. When Talpa threw him out of the castle and he fell for what seemed like forever, Ryo finally realized that their chances of winning were extremely low.

And then his friends arrived, first Mia and Yuli who were really an unwelcome liability, but he was happy to see them anyhow, especially if he were about to die. The soldiers surrounded him – it was over! – and then the rest of the Ronin Warriors arrived, protecting Ryo as they fought the soldiers. Rowen glanced at Ryo over his shoulder, asking if he was okay. Ryo's lack of balance answered the question. Rowen and Ryo met eyes, and Ryo realized that if anyone else knew the slim chance of survival they had, it was Rowen. But Rowen was not going to give up. In a typical Rowen move, he blasted the soldiers with his surekill, wanting them taken care of as quickly as possible.

Kento and Ryo smiled at each other, Kento practically giddy at the thought of fighting Talpa face-to-face. They fought for a while, before Rowen suggested that they put their armor power together.

So the Ronin Warriors formed a pyramid of light and power, and Ryo's armor powered up, healing his armor as he jumped into the apex of the pyramid. They used their armor's might to decimate the surrounding soldiers. Finally they seemed to be succeeding.

Talpa's voice boomed from the castle to where the Ronin Warriors fought, and one sentence sliced Ryo like a knife, one sentence sealed the beginning of the end.

"The armor that you wear belongs to me." They tried to protest, but somehow knew that Talpa had not lied. They had very little time to think on it as Talpa spoke again. "My armor will fight for me again."

Then everything began to go wrong. Chaos took over as Talpa's hand – when had he gotten hands? – ripped through the roof they stood on. The Ronin scattered, and Ryo felt himself caught up in the monster's grip. Mia's screams pierced the night as the Ronin Warriors tried to free Ryo, meeting with no success.

Ryo closed his eyes for a moment as he thought on the next thing that happened, as he remembered with distress that the price of his safety had become Sai's life. He barely had time to realize what happened as his armor retreated and Sage pulled him to safety.

He only remembered the following part of the battle in scattered memories, most only with sound as his tired eyes had refused to open. A horrible crashing sound as Talpa's hand slammed into the roof. Screams of pain erupting from Rowen and Sai, and the sound of their armor being used to crush each other, reverberated in Ryo's tormented mind.

Ryo heard all of the sounds, but did not really know what they meant. Kento's angry voice cried out to Talpa, "Here I come! YAH!" The sounds of his last-ditch effort to help Rowen echoed across the roof of the castle. There was a sound of armor being hit, and then one last cry of pain came from Rowen, before both he and Sai went silent.

"Kento!" Sage shouted to him in desperation.

Ryo slowly opened his eyes as Kento came to stand beside Sage, and looked out in horror at the scene before him. Rowen and Sai lay motionless, and he knew without asking what that meant. He realized ever through his disbelief, what Talpa had just done to his friends.

"Talpa has taken Rowen and Sai!" Sage said, not allowing himself to say the truth – Talpa had killed Rowen and Sai. Killed. They were both dead. Talpa held his hand over them, and the pair began to glow, their armor power concealing them.

"He's going to pay for doing this to my friends," Kento choked as he attacked. "Iron Rock Crusher!" Ryo knew it was a fruitless effort, and he guessed that Kento knew this as well. But Kento would not go down easily, he needed to go down fighting. And he did.

They were now down to two Ronin Warriors. Sage and Ryo. Ryo knew he would not be of much help, his armor still would not return. He was powerless. Sage tried to give him a pep talk, and Ryo realized he was having his last conversation with his friend.

"I believe in your armor," Sage said.

"I believe in you," Ryo responded. Shortly thereafter, Ryo's armor healed him, just in time for Talpa to attack again. Ryo clung to the roof as Talpa's hands flew overhead, deranged missiles sent to destroy them.

And then all too soon, Sage stood to defend himself, and his sword shattered. Ryo could do nothing but watch as Talpa attacked Sage. He watched as Sage fell, and noted the expression of peace that overcame his face as he died.

Anger such as Ryo never felt before flared up, and he called his armor in a fit of rage; ready to pummel Talpa, to burn him alive for what he did. And also knowing this could be the last act he ever committed.

Anubis' sudden arrival stunned Ryo, but he was grateful for any help. And so the pair of old foes attacked as one. It almost worked, for a moment. And then the moment ended, and Anubis was destroyed.

Ryo stood alone once more, watching as Talpa's purplish armor turned to black, and his power grew. Fear gripped at Ryo's heart. And Talpa attacked. Then he stopped, toying with Ryo, enjoying his triumph and the pain it caused.

_I made a pledge then to do whatever it took to destroy Talpa, to gain revenge for my friends. They all died trying to save me, and I vowed I would not waste their sacrifice, that I would win. I just did not realize exactly what that meant. _

_I fought Talpa with everything I had, knowing it would not be enough, but pushed onward by anger and guilt. I narrowly avoided some of his attacks, vaguely aware that he was toying with me. I got in one good solid hit with the 'Flare Up Now' and it did nothing. My friends' armor was protecting Talpa. _

Talpa picked up Ryo, holding him in an iron grip. Suddenly, Talpa released him, an exclamation of surprise coming from him. The other Ronin Warriors were resisting Talpa from the inside, and they stopped him.

_Mia explained to me later that when I thought they were still alive, I was wrong. Their souls were locked in Talpa, could not move on, but they had been killed. I'm sometimes unsure of if I even believe her. Her words made what I did feel a little more righteous, but I will always wonder what could have been._

Talpa backed Ryo up to the edge of a rooftop, and then suddenly, as he reached for Ryo, beams of light shot out from him, holding him in place. He called upon more dark power to combat the forces of those within him, covering more the world in the gloom of his clouds and power.

"The fear and hatred of humans feeds me!" he announced with relish.

_Looks like I had been giving him more power all the time. Yuli called to me to defeat Talpa in order to free his parents, and I felt torn once again. I wanted to save my friends, but I also needed to protect the world. _

Talpa and Ryo began to play a game of cat and mouse. Talpa seemed to enjoy chasing Ryo around, playing with him. And then Talpa did something Ryo did not expect, using his friends' attacks on him, each in turn. First Rowen's, then Sage's, followed by Sai's, and finally Kento's.

_Talpa raised his arm, and I just knew I was going to die. I knew I would be joining the others soon, where that was, I could not be sure. Then I felt something strange, someone else was moving my armor. I looked up to see Talpa paralyzed by the power of the armors inside of him. Then I began hearing their voices in my mind._

_"Ryo fight back!" Rowen!_

_"Get talpa!" Sage!_

"_Do it now while we hold him for you!" Sai!_

"_Forget about us" Kento!_

_How could they be speaking to me? What was going on?_

"_Don't worry, you have to save the world and not us!" Rowen commanded._

"_Ryo!" they all yelled, my arms rising, my swords hooking together as they do when I attack. I knew what they wanted, I just did not want to do it. I did not want to be responsible for killing my friends._

"_I can't do it, my friends, I can't kill you just to destroy Talpa. I won't make that sacrifice," I protested._

"_Come on, think about it, we saved you so you could kill Talpa!" Rowen said, sounding exasperated. I protested, but they would not hear a word of it._

"_Our souls are in your hands, take your best shot!" Sage said._

"_Stop it! Stop it now! Please!" I cried. I could not do this! I could not kill them! Not if there was the slightest chance they could survive._

"_What are you waiting for, man? We're banking on your power to pull this off!" Kento shouted._

"_Show him the power of the armor of Wildfire, do it now while we can control him!" Sai ordered._

_I was in the perfect position to stop Talpa, to end this suffering. Spheres of light appeared on Talpa, showing that their grip on him was weakening. I thought of how much it must hurt them to do this, how much effort they put forth, for me, again. They were always protecting me, saving me. Even now. Sage's words echoed in my mind once more 'Our souls are in your hands, take your best shot!' _

_He was right, and it was what they wanted. I had to do it._

_I looked up, my moment was almost gone. It was time, time to act. I could not think anymore. _

_With a heavy heart, I leapt into the air, calling forth all of the power I could to my swords. "FLARE UP NOW!" I shouted, channeling the power to strike at Talpa who still stood completely still. His masked face gave way none of his expression, but I knew he was afraid. _

_The attack hit him square in the chest. He was thrown back by the force of it, but I would not stop. Eyes filling with tears, I pushed the power at him, hard and strong. Talpa screamed as his body began to disintegrate, and the castle around him shook and cracked. I felt myself pushed to the limit, I had nothing else, this had to work. _

_And it did._

_Talpa was obliterated, and his castle fell. I watched in horrified awe as the structure collapsed, until I felt a hand tugging at me, dragging me back. I half-hoped I would turn to see Rowen or Sage, but, instead, it was Mia. Together we ran to the Ancient's soul bridge, leaping down it with Yuli and White Blaze. I looked above me as the Dynasty fell to pieces, and my eyes searched for some sign of my friends, something, anything._

_I went back to Mia's house afterwards, numb from the whole experience. The sky cleared, and the sun shone for the first time in what felt like an eternity. I wished my friends were there to see it._

_I soon learned that the memory of the Dynasty had been wiped from everyone's minds. I thought it better that way. And all day, I searched the empty driveway for signs of my friends returning, knowing they would never come back._

_A few days later, their bodies were discovered scattered across the city. I read articles in the newspaper about the shocking death of four teenage boys. No one knew the cause of death, or if their deaths were related in any way. _

_None of it really felt real until I went to Sage's funeral. It was held a day before Sai's, and Kento's, and two days before Rowen's. I stood to the back, knowing that no one would recognize me. It felt strange, I wanted to throw myself on his body and cry out in anguish, scream like a wounded animal, but I couldn't. No one would ever know the time Sage and I spent together, no one would understand why he died. They would never knew he was a hero. _

_I watched his parents, grandparents, and sisters weep openly, feeling responsible for their pain. He died to save me. I wanted to tell everyone, but I could not. I could just watch. Mia stood beside me, a comforting hand on my shoulder. _

_Sage's funeral was large, with friends and family crowding the temple, crying and talking. No one could understand how this had happened. They were furious, they wanted answers. I could not give them the answers they so desperately craved._

_No one noticed me as I stood silent and unmoving. I felt like stone, I wanted so much to cry, but some form of masochism and guilt forced me to keep my emotions inside. It was like having a wildfire burning in my soul. The emotions needed an outlet, a release, but I kept it all in. _

_It was the same scene at Kento's, and Sai's funerals. Their times were thankfully staggered so I could make it to both. I was amazed at how many people were there. I wondered how each of them knew my friends. I had spent such a short time with them, I felt cheated by the fun times others surely remembered. _

_Kento's mother threw herself on the casket at the end of the wake, screaming and crying. Her pain stabbed into my heart as her husband and son carefully pried her away from the body of her dead son. _

_Sai's sister stood beside the casket greeting people, his mother seated and sobbing the whole time. Sai's sister stared through watery eyes as tears continuously spilled throughout the wake, not stopping even as they entered the crematorium. _

_Rowen's funeral was different. His mother and father were there, standing stoically together. And the attendees consisted of a handful of relatives, people who looked like teachers, and two or three of his peers. I could not imagine why there was such a small crowd for someone I had quickly considered to be one of my closest friends in the fight against Talpa. Someone so noble and strong, so courageous and selfless deserved better than this. _

Ryo watched the cremation from afar, standing against a tree in the distance. Rowen's mother, who had remained so calm and collected, suddenly began screaming in pain and loss as soon as his body was brought in to be burned. Ryo heard her sobs, and turned away.

He had done what his friends wanted, he had destroyed Talpa and saved the Mortal World. But the price had been so steep. Could he have saved them? Was there a way? If he had waited, would there have been a way? Did he act too soon? He would never know, but he would always wonder.

His guilt and pain suddenly overwhelmed him, and he collapsed to the ground, his hands on the trees. The emotions he forced to stay inside, that he refused to release, suddenly began to rise.

"_Don't worry, you have to save the world and not us!" _Rowen's words flowed through his mind, just as a single tear escaped from his control.

"_Come on, think about it, we saved you so you could kill Talpa!" _

"_Our souls are in your hands, take your best shot!" _

Sobs emanated from Ryo, they wracked his body, and the tears finally fell freely. They flowed in salty rivulets down his cheeks. He leaned his head against the bark of the tree, his hair blowing in the wind. The sun beat down on his head.

"They died in the cold! They died in the dark!" he screamed as he regained control of his crying. "They died for me! They died for everyone!" He pounded his fist against the tree as he pushed against it. "They were good, and loyal, and righteous, and the bravest men I ever met! They were my best friends! I loved them! I didn't want them to die!" His words died out as the sobs overtook him again. "I'm… sor…sorry," he cried.

_"Don't be sorry,"_ Rowen's voice suddenly whispered into his mind. _"You did as we asked. You did what needed to be done."_

"Ro… Rowen… where are you?" he asked, looking around at the empty hill.

_"We're someplace better now Ryo. You were good. You saved the Mortal World, and you saved our souls as well,"_ Sage's words gave Ryo the image of his smiling face.

"Why can I hear you?" he asked.

_"Dude, our souls are linked,"_ Kento laughed.

_"We just wanted to tell you that you should not blame yourself for this,"_ Sai said.

"I don't want to be here alone," he said.

_"You'll see us again someday. Until then, do some living for us,"_ Rowen seemed to wink as he spoke.

_"Goodbye, Ryo,"_ they said in unison, and then Ryo could feel their souls fading from him.

"No! Don't go!" Ryo shouted, pushing himself to his knees and staring around.

But they were gone.

He wiped his arm across his moist eyes, and used the tree to help him stand. He stared out into the distance and imagined his friends' smiling faces. He stood there for a long while, until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He knew who it was, and covered her hand protectively with his.

"Ryo," Mia whispered. There were tears in her eyes, ready to spill over onto her cheeks again. Back at the bottom of the hill, Ryo heard the sounds of the group leaving the crematorium. "What now?" she asked.

"Now we move on," Ryo said, blinking as the last tears he would cry in a while slid down his cheeks. "For them."

The End

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I would love to know what you thought.

1-17-06

_Sarah Shima

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